


Dire Dinner Distractions

by ladykardasi



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: F/M, Het, M/M, Matchmaking, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 17:09:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10903782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladykardasi/pseuds/ladykardasi
Summary: Dukat has been trying to seduce Kira for ages, and Julian doesn't think she's quite as unwilling as she tries to appear. Julian and Garak decides to play cupid, and are willing to go to great lengths to help the two get together.Dukat and Garak get stuck in an elevator. They have a past.





	1. Chapter 1

1.

"Can you believe those two?" Julian said as he was standing next to Garak on the promenade. He was watching as Major Kira Nerys and Gul Dukat were 'at it' again in the middle of the promenade. Dukat's eyes were gleaming with mirth and Kira was spouting fire - as usual. They were always fighting, he thought. 

"No, I really have given up in trying to understand those two," Garak admitted and lifted an eyebrow. 

"But I suppose you can't really blame the Major. Dukat has after all done some horrible things to Bajor." Julian mused aloud.  
"Hmmm," Garak agreed. "But in all honesty, my dear Doctor, he wasn't the sole Cardassian responsible for all those atrocities committed unto Bajor."

"Are you defending Dukat?" he asked and turned around to look at his loved one. Garak's eyes were locked onto Dukat and he was smiling slightly. 

"Well, I can do that now," Garak said and Julian felt the Cardassian's arm slide around his waist. "I've got you."

He stared at Garak with puzzlement in his eyes and then the truth hit him. 

"Ah… you and Dukat… you used to be lovers? That's why you hated him so much. You were in love with him."

Garak waved with his hand in the air. 

"That is all in the past now. Let's not dwell on things long forgotten."

"Come on, Garak. You know how much I hate it when you tell me something and won't give me any details. Now you have to let me know what happened!" 

* * *

Garak looked at the young human who stared at him so curiously with those hazel eyes. How could he ever deny Julian anything? But it was a sad story. A story he hadn't intended to share with anyone - ever. 

"Let's go to our quarters. I will tell you this once, but then we will not talk about it again." 

Julian put his hand on Garak's arm and nodded. 

"I promise, Garak. I won't."

2.

"You are the most despicable man I have ever met! How could you even think I would want to have dinner with you!" Kira shouted from the top of her lungs. 

"Come now, Major. You don't have to let the entire station find out you are turning me down!" Dukat replied calmly. He did enjoy upsetting the Bajoran, but she really did know how to bruise his ego sometimes. He wondered to himself why he really put up with this crap. Why did he even bother to try? This woman would never feel the same for him as he did for her. He might want her. He might have feelings for her, but they would never be reciprocated. Would they? He stared intently at Kira and suddenly he made a decision. It was a win or lose situation, so he decided to go for it. 

"Major," he said and grabbed her arms lightly. She squirmed to get out of his grip but he grabbed a firmer hold of her and buried his gaze into her eyes. "If you have dinner with me tomorrow night, I will never, ever make a pass at you again, unless you want me to. I promise you that."

Kira stared at him and he saw those brown eyes darken in suspicion. 

"And why in the Prophets' names would I trust you to keep a promise like that?"

"Have I ever lied to you before?" 

"Ha! Hundreds of times!" she spat, but her eyes revealed her hesitancy. 

"I am not lying to you now, Major. If you agree to meet me for dinner and spend an entire evening with me. Meet me as you would any other man - no preconceptions, no hostilities and you promise to dress up - as you would with any man that you were attracted to. If you do this I promise you that if you do not enjoy yourself and do not wish to have my attention, I will leave you alone."

Kira did not reply at once. She stared at him for a minute, and then another minute. 

"You promise me?"

"Yes."

"On everything that means anything to you!"

"I swear on Ziyal's life. I will not pursue you again if you agree to this."

"One dinner?"

"Yes, dinner, and you spend an evening with me. No strings attached. Just talk, spend time with me and get to know me a bit better. If you still don't like what you see, I will leave you alone."

"No hidden agenda? No dragging me to your bed against my will?"

He felt like she had hit him in the stomach and for a brief moment he wondered if this would be worth it. Why bother? She had such horrible preconceptions about him he could just as well try to make her believe that he was really Bajoran. 

"Major," he said coldly. "Maybe this was a bad idea. I apologize." Then he turned around to leave. Before he could however, he felt Major Kira's light touch on his elbow. 

"Dukat," He turned around. Her eyes were filled with - regret? "I…I am sorry. That was uncalled for. I have no reason to believe that you have ever done such a thing. I… I just… I saw a lot during the Occupation."

"I can not be held responsible for every horrible act a Cardassian has ever done to a Bajoran any more than you can be held responsible for all the Cardassians killed during the Occupation, Major… "

"I suppose you're right."

Dukat narrowed his eyes and glared at her. He got suspicious when she was this forthcoming. 

"All right, Dukat. One dinner. Tomorrow night."

He hesitated for a second, but then he nodded curtly. 

"I will pick you up at 1800 hours."

"I feel like Cinderella, only the other way around… " she mumbled.

"Who?"

"Nothing…"

He lifted his eyebrows at her and she sighed irritably: 

"Cinderella - It's an earth children's tale where a young girl is helped by a fairy to fulfill her dream to go to a ball at the castle. Her evil stepmother and her daughters try to keep her away from the ball where the prince is to choose his wife. But with the help of this fairy the young girl - Cinderella - gets to attend this wonderful ball. The prince chooses her of course - but at midnight she has to leave because the magic stops working… "

"Ah… and I am the prince?" he chided.

"Quite the contrary… I was just thinking I'll have to live through this until midnight before I get to go home!" she retorted. 

Dukat was overcome by mirth and he chuckled. 

"You never know, Major. You just might enjoy yourself!" he said and placed his hand softly on her cheek. She slapped it away with an angry look on her face and left, fuming. Dukat kept laughing and stared at her for a moment before he turned around to leave. 

3.

"There really isn't much to tell, Julian," Garak began, hoping he wouldn't have to follow through with his foolish promise. After all what would it accomplish? 

"You promised me," the young doctor replied and stared at him with black eyes. Garak knew Julian well enough to know that unless he wanted to be subjected to the young man's moping for days he'd better keep the promise he made. 

"Very well," Garak rose from the chair and decided to give Julian a shortened version of events. Telling Julian the entire story would serve no purpose and frankly he wished he hadn't made that blatant slip of the tongue at the promenade. Letting Julian know the nature of his relationship with Dukat was a mistake. He could just feel it, but it was too late now. "Dukat and I were lovers," Garak started pacing. "He fell in love with me," 

And I with him, Garak admitted to himself for the first time in many years, but he said nothing aloud. 

"Dukat might not have been much younger than I was in years, but he was always... how shall I put it? …less mature. He always was willing to go wherever life took him, grabbing opportunities along the way. So, when his father arranged the marriage to Elena, a young woman of a very prominent family, Dukat agreed to marry her. I left him."

"You thought he betrayed you," Julian stated. 

"Yes, but the sad part is that Dukat never saw it that way. He felt that I did all the betrayal. I never realized how hurt he would be by my leaving him. He on the other hand never realized how much he hurt me, I suppose."

"And you hated him for marrying another for power?" 

"For quite a while, I did. But I got over him. I truly did," Garak turned around to look into Julian's eyes. It was important to him that his young lover knew this. He did not want Julian to believe that he had any competition for his affections. 

"I believe you, Garak. I know you love me," Julian said as he rose to his feet. He moved over to where Garak was standing in front of the window and wrapped his arms around Garak's waist. "Tell me what else happened. There is more, I can tell by the look on your face."

Garak's mind wandered back to that moment when it all had blown up in their faces. He could still see the thin form of Legate Dukat's body as it lay on the floor of his office. He had been murdered and Garak arrived just a fraction of a second too late to catch the perpetrator. But that wasn't the worst part of it. As he stood there, leaning over the body, trying to figure out how to proceed, Dukat had entered the room and found him there. 

"I can understand why he believed what he did. He thought I had killed his father. I sat there with his father's blood on my hands. Dukat knew I was in the Obsidian Order and he also thought I was out to hurt him even more."

"So that's why he thinks you are the one who murdered his father?"

"Yes, and I can't tell you how much it hurt at the time. After all that we had shared. He knew how I felt about him and still he believed that I would have done such a thing. Some day I will have to let Dukat know that this was not what happened. For his peace of mind, if nothing else."

"This bothers you, doesn't it?" 

"Yes, I suppose it does. I know that in his mind I betrayed him. You see… I don't think I ever realized how deeply he cared for me until it was too late. When he saw me sitting there by his father's body I could see that love turn into hatred."

"Dukat is an unhappy man. He doesn't let people get close to him. I think the only person in this world who loves him is Ziyal."

"I believe so, my dear young Doctor. Dukat is a lonely man, and it pains me to see him throw himself at a woman like Major Kira Nerys, who does not appreciate him the way he deserves."

Garak watched as his lover's face turned from a look of compassion to a look of conspiracy.

"You know Garak, I don't think the dear Major is as immune to your lovely Dukat's charm as she would like to believe… "

A wicked smile appeared on Garak's features as he realized what Julian was thinking about. 

"Hm, and what do you propose we do to make her admit to them then?"

"I have an idea..."

4.

Julian fidgeted in his chair. He didn't really know how to bring the subject up. He couldn't just blurt it out, and Major Kira was not likely to start talking about the Gul herself. So he really did not know how to go about the matter. But he had to know for sure before he and Garak went ahead with their little plan. Matchmaking was always a risky business and in this matter he could bet his beloved teddy bear Kukalaka that it might be damn near life threatening. 

"You seem very on edge today, Julian," Major Kira pointed out as she tapped the computer panel irritably. 

"Well, hum… it's nothing really," he replied innocently as he forced himself to remain still and at least look like he was concentrating on his work. He'd have to come up with something soon. This day was almost coming to an end. Major Kira would end her shift in less than two hours and by then he must have at least made an attempt to talk to her. 

"I guess it's me then. I feel like I could just scream," Kira admitted. 

Julian looked at her. "What's wrong then?" 

"I've got a date tonight… "

Julian lifted his brow. Damn! he thought. This was not good. He couldn't just ruin the Major's date on a hunch. 

"And why is this making you so on edge?" Julian coaxed her. 

"You won't believe who I am going to have dinner with tonight… I can't believe it myself."

Then she turned silent and bit her lip. Julian kept staring at her, until finally he grew impatient. "So, are you going to tell me who it is?"

"What? Oh, it's… you won't believe this… it's Gul Dukat. And Prophets help you if you tell anyone about this!" 

"Gul Dukat?" Julian's heart leapt in his chest. This was damn near perfect. "You are going to go on a date with Dukat?"

Kira squirmed in her chair. 

"Yeah, well it's not like it's a date date."

"Uh-huh?" Julian chided. "And what kind of a date is it if it's not a date date?"

"Well, I only agreed to it because he promised if I did this he would stop pursuing me for good if I didn't like it."

"Okay… " Julian said. "Fair enough… so you agreed to go on this date to get him off your back?"

"Yes, exactly!" Kira said and smiled brightly. 

"So, if that's all there is to it you should be cart-wheeling around Ops, right?"

"Yes!"

"But you're not!"

"I know!"

"Now, why is that?" Julian said. 

"I don't know."

"Because you're nervous."

"I guess… "

"So, why are you nervous, Nerys? This is the best thing that could have happened to you. You have to spend a single evening with Dukat and if you don't like it he's going to leave you alone for good. So what are you afraid of?" Kira didn't answer, so Julian did it for her. "You're afraid you just might like it after all, aren't you?" Her doe-like eyes were full of fear as she stared at him. Then she nodded. 

Julian smiled inside. This was perfect. She needed some help to get over those old preconceptions and the inhibitions. His and Garak's plan would help her do that just nicely. 

"What is it that scares you most, Nerys?" he asked softly. "That you might enjoy the evening and admit it to him or that you might enjoy the evening, not admit it and he'll keep his promise to leave you alone?" 

"I want him to leave me alone!" she moaned. "I don't want to deal with this!" 

This was getting better by the minute, Kira had - unwillingly and maybe even without realizing it - admitted that there was indeed something to deal with in the first place. This made Julian even surer that what he had planned was the right thing to do. And he couldn't help but admitting to himself he would be enjoying what he had planned too… 

"It seems you will have to, Nerys. Either you tell him that you're not coming to see him tonight and he'll keep pursuing you because then he'll know that you don't want him to stop. Or you go see him tonight and you might also have to deal with the fact that he'll find out that you like him a lot more than you're letting on… Or you go there, you manage not to let on that you actually do care and he'll get out of your life for good, which you don't really want, right?"

Kira flopped down on a chair. She looked completely drained. 

"That's pretty much it I am afraid."

"Well, he's forced you this far… I don't think he'll just let go now," Julian said. 

"Thanks for brightening my day," she said ironically. 

"I am simply stating a fact, Nerys." Julian said softly. 

"But I don't like him, Julian. I really don't!"

She looked at him tiredly and he almost felt sorry for her. It wasn't easy. He knew as well as she did what Dukat had been during the Occupation, but he could be more objective and see that Dukat wasn't as bad as she made him out to be. 

"Have you ever really given yourself a chance to find out what you truly think about him? Do you know him well enough to judge that? Or do you just see him as the Prefect of Bajor? An icon to blame the Occupation on?"

"I don't know, Julian," Kira sighed. 

"Don't you think you owe it to yourself to find that out at least?" 

"Since when did you become so clever and insightful? I thought you were a stuck up brat. When did you grow up?" 

Julian just smiled at her and winked. 

The brief question of why he was doing this flew through his mind and was met by an honest admission. He was doing this for himself too, but most of all for Kira. She needed to let go a little bit. 

5.

Kira stood in her quarters in front of a mirror wondering what the hell she was going to wear. She knew Dukat would not accept it if she showed up in her uniform or casual clothes. He had asked her to dress up for him and she found it hard to know what to put on. She didn't want him to feel like she hadn't made an effort; that might make him call off the whole thing and for whatever reasons she might have - she didn't want that. But she certainly didn't want to overdress either. 

She did not look forward to being escorted from her quarters to Dukat's wearing an evening gown. The entire station would be abuzz with gossip before they reached his quarters, but she didn't have much of a choice. So she finally put her eyes on the wine-colored dress - her favorite. Why not wear that one? It would make her feel comfortable with what she was wearing, and she would need all the help she could get to feel comfortable this evening. The dress was long and had a generous skirt, which flowed around her legs like a soft summer-breeze when she walked, the top was sleeveless and the only thing that kept it up was the fact that the top hugged her torso tightly. She slipped into the gown and pulled up the zipper and then she stepped into the shoes. One last glance at the mirror and she was ready to go. Her heart was pounding and she looked at the chronometer. It was time. Where was he? She hoped she wouldn't have to…. 

The door chime rang and with an unsteady voice she said;

"Enter!"

It was him of course. She didn't know if she was supposed to feel relieved at that or worried. His blue eyes gazed at her intently. She shivered under his scrutiny. When he finally spoke it was in a soft whisper. 

"Dear Nerys, you look good enough to eat…" 

She bit her lip to stop herself from forbidding him to call her Nerys. She had promised to meet him like he was any man. Could she live up to that? He wasn't just any man. He was Dukat, how could he expect her to just forget that? But she had promised to put away her preconceptions, promised to spend an evening with him without prejudging his actions and to keep the hostilities away. Could she actually do that without…?

She forced herself to smile and say: 

"I definitely hope you have another meal planned for us tonight." Dukat threw his head back and laughed heartily. She could hardly stop herself from staring at him. She had rarely - if ever - seen him out of uniform. It was a pleasant experience. It made it easier for her to look at him differently. He was indeed an attractive man, she had to admit. This night he was dressed in a pair of formfitting, black pants, not unlike those he wore with his uniform, but the dreadful boots were gone and he was wearing another pair of shoes, more like the ones that went with the Starfleet uniforms. His broad shoulders were hugged by a dark blue sweater, which was cut in the typical Cardassian manner to accommodate his neck ridges. 

"Not to worry, my sweet Nerys. I have prepared a very nice meal for the two of us." His eyes sparkled with mirth and she couldn't help but smile back at him. 

"You actually don't look too bad yourself," she surprised herself by saying and he turned to look at her suspiciously. He was obviously pleased with what he saw in her eyes because he simply tilted his head and said;   
"Thank you. Shall we?"

He held out his arm to her and they left her quarters. 

6.

"Are you sure you have everything we will need?" Julian said nervously. "We don't have much time. I think we have to beam over right now or it will be too late. I saw Dukat leave his quarters almost five minutes ago."

"Calm down, my sweet Julian. Dukat was walking over to her quarters. It will take them at least fifteen more minutes to get back to where Dukat is staying. We don't want to spend more time in there than we have to."

"I suppose you are right…"

"One last time, Julian. Are you absolutely sure about this? You are not doing this for me, simply because of what I told you?" Garak's eyes were shining with concern and Julian's heart jumped in his chest. "No, Garak. I'll find this as enjoyable as you will, never fear!" he assured his Cardassian lover.

"I love you Julian, don't ever doubt it!" Garak said and kissed him firmly. Julian snaked his hands around Garak's stockier waist and kissed him back enthusiastically. 

"I love you too, Garak! Now let's go shall we?"

Garak nodded and pressed the button of the site-to-site transporter and they dissolved into shimmering light only to appear a moment later in Dukat's quarters. 

"Oh dear, he has pulled out all the stops tonight!" Garak said with a wide grin as he walked over to the beautifully set table. "Candles. Bajoran Spring Wine… I even think that is homecooked vek'lava," he said and pointed at the dish on the table… "My, my, Dukat hasn't lost his touch!" 

"Come on Garak, you're making me nervous here. Let's get ready!"

"Patience, my young friend," Garak teased but did as Julian asked. Only moments later there was no trace that they had ever been in the room. 

7.

Dukat pressed the code to his quarters and bade Kira to enter the room. He watched her intently to see her reaction. He was not disappointed. Her eyes widened when she saw the table. She seemed almost nervous. He had never anticipated that. He had expected her to be angry, hostile or even stubbornly quiet. But she did not react that way at all. She seemed fidgety, nervous - almost like a schoolgirl on her first date. Dukat wondered if this evening might prove to be more interesting than he had anticipated. He escorted Kira to her chair and they sat down to enjoy their meal. Dukat thoroughly looked forward to the evening. He had promised himself that he would not tease or taunt her. He would simply try to let her get to know him at her own pace. Talk about anything and everything, anything that didn't have to do with the Occupation or the Cardassian Military - or Bajor and its Prophets. He hoped she would follow these unwritten rules of the evening herself. 

"So, what would you like to talk about?" Kira said nervously as if she had read his mind. "I suppose the Occupation is out of the question - as well as the Celestial Temple and the Prophets…" 

Dukat had to smile. 

"My dear Nerys. You are absolutely right."

"Then what can we talk about…?" Kira asked hesitantly. 

"We can talk about personal likes and dislikes in the areas of art, music, literature, holodeck programs, sports…"

"All right, all right - I get your point…" she laughed. "I didn't realize you liked holodeck programs."

"I don't. I said likes and *dislikes*… " Dukat responded dryly and was met by understanding in Kira's eyes. 

"Now, let's eat… " Dukat said and leaned over to pour her a glass of Bajoran spring wine. He watched as she gazed at the glass. Her slender fingers gripped the delicate foot of the glass and her eyes averted his. She still seemed nervous. He wondered why. He had reason to be nervous. She didn't. He had to make sure he reached her now, or he would never be given another chance. She had nothing to lose… unless… unless she was afraid he might actually get through to her. He lifted his eyes from the glass to her face and saw the answer there. The insecurity, the anticipation, and he realized he had been right all along. The attraction was there, between them, she could handle that - as she had been for years, but she was afraid he might actually get her to like him. 

* * *

Suddenly Dukat stiffened in his chair and could do nothing but close his mouth as he felt something move up his leg. It felt like a - a hand…. Dukat stared at Kira, but there was no way she could be touching him like that. She was sitting at the far end of the table and both her hands were on the table. She was fidgeting with a napkin and her gaze was locked onto the plate in front of her. 

He was just about ready to lean down to look beneath the table when the roving hand reached the inside of his thigh, squeezing gently. Dukat nearly gasped as he felt himself harden instantaneously at the intimate touch. It felt familiar somehow… The stroking hand moved further up along his thigh and he felt the blood rush to his groin. 

"Dukat?"

He started in his chair and responded with a questioning sound. 

"Hm? I am sorry, Nerys. What did you say?"

"I was asking if you had made this vek'lava yourself."

Dukat simply nodded. 

"It's very good."

"Yes, ah…" The hand between his legs reached up to his groin and stroked and squeezed him gently. The sensation was exquisite. It was as if, whomever those hands belonged to, they knew exactly how to arouse him beyond reason. Stroking firmly at the insides of his thigh, brushing lightly against the head of his growing erection, alternating hard and soft squeezes along his shaft… 

"Actually Ziyal taught me how to make that. She is quite fond of Bajoran food."

"I see… "

He watched Nerys where she was sitting and imagined her soft hands touching him like that. He wondered what her hands would feel like if they were doing this to him. This only made him harden more and he bit his lip to keep from moaning aloud. 

"Are you all right, Dukat?" Kira said and frowned. "You seem a little distracted."

He fought to regain his composure and responded quickly.

"Yes, you look so lovely tonight, Nerys. I am at a loss for words… "

"There's got to be a first time for everything," she laughed. 

Dukat didn't know what to say or do. He couldn't draw attention to what was happening under the table. He was sure that would make Nerys run out of his quarters screaming, accusing him of trying to force himself upon her. He couldn't have that happening. But who the hell was underneath his table at this very moment, caressing him so intimately? So expertly. The hands moved from his groin to his waist and started undoing the clasp of his pants. The quarters were so dimly lit that he couldn't make out what they hands really looked like when he glanced down. They seemed pale, gray - like Cardassian skin… Without thinking about it he pulled the chair closer to the table to make it easier for those hands to reach him. He could have kicked himself when he realized what he just did, but then it was too late. The hands took this as an invitation to move on. 

8.

Kira watched Dukat intently over the table. He seemed a little flushed and a bit nervous. But she supposed she couldn't hold it against him. She realized at this very moment that he meant to keep his promise. He had made a real effort to make her feel welcome and at ease in his company this evening. He hadn't been teasing or taunting her, and he hadn't made any blatant passes at her. So far… the evening was still young she supposed. But he was uncharacteristically quiet this evening. She felt obliged to start a conversation and she tied into their earlier comments about holodecks. 

"To be quite honest I never understood how some people can spend so much time in a holosuite," she said and watched Dukat where he was sitting. He gazed at her intently and she could suddenly see all that passion in his eyes. He looked at her as if he wanted to grab a hold of her and carry her to his bed. She felt a sudden pang of fear but swallowed it instantly. She *knew* - how, she had no idea - but she knew he would never do anything like that against her will. 

"Holodecks never held any attraction to me. If I want to take a swim… " Dukat silenced for a second. "I'd rather go to a planet where I could take a swim for real."

"I merely use them for exercise. Like playing spring ball for instance. Have you ever tried a game of spring ball, Dukat?"

"No, I can't say that I have, but I wouldn't mind trying one if you promise to teach me how to play. I hear that…" he silenced again and she watched him a bit closer. He seemed a bit preoccupied, as if he had a hard time concentrating on what she was saying - or what he was supposed to say. "I hear that you are quite good at it," he finished. 

"Yes,"

Kira silenced abruptly as she felt the slightest touch along her calves. Her head shot up. What now? Was it Dukat? But no, he was sitting at his end of the table watching her intently as if he was simply waiting for her to continue. Both his hands were on the table. And the hands kept caressing her. They were soft and gentle - but who did they belong to? She was about to lean over to check underneath the table when they reached her inner thighs. The hands had pushed away the soft fabric of her gown and were now touching the sensitive skin between her legs. Softly brushing against her knees they moved upwards. 

"Nerys?"

"What? Oh yes, I have been playing Spring Ball ever since… ever since the Occupation was over." Then she realized what she had been saying. He didn't comment however and she felt the need to apologize. "I didn't mean to…."

"I know you didn't. It's all right. I realize that the issue has to come up at one point… "

Kira didn't hear what he said next. She simply looked at him. Watched him where he was sitting. The anonymous hands moved up between her legs and caressed her. It was frightening, not knowing who was touching her so intimately, but it was also exciting and she found that she didn't want the caresses to end. She simply sat there, feeling them grow more intimate, touching her more expertly, caressing her so she could feel the wetness growing between her thighs as she watched Dukat while he was speaking. Wondering what it would feel like if he was the one touching her like that. The thought almost made her moan aloud. 

9.

Garak was enjoying what he was doing immensely. His firm hands stroked Dukat's slender thighs and he reveled at the sensation as it brought almost forgotten memories to the surface. Flashes of the two of them making nearly violent love flooded his mind. Garak remembered the feelings he had once had for this man and allowed them to reach the surface one last time. He considered this the farewell they were never allowed to experience before their relationship became so complex and so full of hatred. He reveled at the sensation of Dukat's sinewy legs underneath the palms of his hands and felt the first stirrings of his own arousal. It was exciting, sitting there underneath the table, knowing that Dukat might - at any second - decide to check who was actually touching him. Garak wondered how his former lover would feel if he knew who was caressing him like that. Would he be furious? Turned on? Disgusted? 

Garak didn't care much. Instead he let his fingers move on to the task ahead. He and Julian had decided to do this as much for their own sake as for Kira's and Dukat's. Garak wanted to help Dukat. After finding Julian, the hatred had subsided and he wanted to see his former lover happy and this was his contribution. Oh, he didn't fool himself. He wanted to touch Dukat like this one last time, even if the man didn't know it was him, and Garak knew that Julian had always had a thing for the Bajoran First officer. So, comfortable as they were in their relationship they had agreed to do this. 

"If I can turn Kira on while she's sitting there in front of Dukat, maybe that's all that's needed to make her give in to the desire she's feeling for him," Julian had mused aloud as they began planning their devious little plot. 

"And if it doesn't work?" Garak had said. 

"Well, then we've at least tried, and we've both had a fantasy fulfilled, right?" his young lover had said and winked at him. And he had agreed to it. 

Garak moved his hands over Dukat's erection, caressing him the way he knew turned the other man on really bad. Squeezing Dukat lightly at first, then firmer and scratching his nails along the ridge of the rock hard member. He knew this had always driven Dukat wild. He listened carefully and smiled to himself as Dukat stuttered or lost track of what he was saying. 

Not so eloquent now, my dear friend, hm? Garak thought to himself. 

He reached upward to the fastenings of Dukat's trousers and smiled even broader as the man moved the chair closer to the table so he could reach better.

It seems I haven't lost my touch, have I, dear Elmo? 

Dukat was obviously enjoying his touches more than he could have hoped for. 

Quickly he opened the buttons of Dukat's pants and pulled him out of the trousers, and caressed him gently for a while, rubbing the ridges tantalizingly slowly and then a bit faster and harder. Dukat's legs tensed and he knew the man was getting closer to release. That's when Garak leaned forward and pulled the head into his mouth, licking Dukat up and down along the shaft. He felt Dukat thrust his hips almost imperceptibly, urging him to go on. Garak smiled and grazed his teeth along the ridge and finally he took the entire erection into his mouth. 

Oh, this feels so good, Garak thought. 

Having Dukat's erection in his mouth was wonderful. The Cardassian ridges felt like coming home. 

10\. 

Oh, Gods! Dukat thought. 

This is not happening. Someone is sitting underneath my table giving me a terrific blowjob while Major Kira Nerys is sitting there across the table watching me. Her eyes look so hungry… Or is it just me? Have I lost all sense of rational thought, is that it? Am I only seeing what I want to see?

"Oh," he gasped as the hot mouth took him in completely and flashbacks flooded his mind. He could only remember one person in his life who had been able to do that to him, and it was Elim. He bit his lip and glanced over at Kira, but she didn't seem to have noticed his gasp and he narrowed his eyes. She looked flushed and positively excited. Could it be that someone else was underneath that table, giving her the same thorough treatment? Dukat felt a sudden rush of jealousy at that mere thought. But it vanished almost immediately as the harsh tongue of - Elim? Gods, Elim was doing this to him? - licked along the length of him. He couldn't remember why he hated the man so much at this very moment. He was getting closer to release by the minute. Watching Kira sitting there in front of him while Elim was doing this to him was almost too much, so he bit his lip once again, fearful he would soon be drawing blood. Gods, he would come any second now and by then he would not be able to stay quiet. Why in the Great Gul's name was Elim there, doing this to him?

11\. 

Julian's hands moved up Kira's thighs. Her skin was so soft, and pale like cream. He pushed aside the garment gently, fearful she might reach down and slap his hands away or reach down to look at him and scream. She moved as if to do just that, but Julian moved his hands up along her thighs caressing her softly. Then he let his hands move up to the edge of her silky panties and he tore them off her in a swift movement. He could feel her start underneath his hands but she did nothing to stop him. So he continued caressing her, more intimately and he smiled to himself as she spread her legs to allow him better access to her wetness. He leaned forward and buried his face between her legs. She scooted forward on the chair and he licked the insides of her thighs, he felt her tense under his touch, but he didn't stop, he simply licked the soft skin languidly. Slow circles moving closer to her center. He could hear her laugh unsteadily at something Dukat said, but she had trouble responding, he could tell. Then he flicked his tongue out to touch the most sensitive nub and he was delighted at the taste of her. He loved Garak, he truly did, but tasting a woman in his mouth again was delicious. He suckled and licked a while longer until he could feel her legs tremble underneath his touch. She was so close she would come any second if he kept going. That was when he pulled back. 

He turned around slowly under the table, careful not to make any noises and looked at Garak who had also let go of Dukat and they grinned at each other as Garak reached for the site-to-site transporter and the two partners in crime dematerialized from Dukat's quarters. 

12.

The caresses stopped and Dukat nearly cried out loud. He was only fractions of a second away from release. Was this what Garak had in mind? Pushing him to the edge, forcing him to make a complete fool out of himself, embarrassing both himself and Major Kira? He wanted to reach down and finish the job, he wanted to get up and pull Kira into his embrace, burying himself in her, but he couldn't do that. He leaned his head back and breathed. He was hard as a rock and the arousal was so strong he knew he could not ignore it. He couldn't even put his pants on, he was too hard. All he could seem to do was sit there and wish for Kira to leave… or to come to him. Great Gul - if she would only come to him. Nerys, he thought and looked at her through heavy-lidded eyes. Come here and sit in my lap…. 

She looked just as distraught as he felt, and he realized he had been right. Someone else had been there - Garak's lover, Dr Bashir maybe? - caressing her just as intimately and she was on the verge herself. Her only option was to get out as soon as possible, go back to her quarters to finish the job or allow him to do it for her. Would she? 

"Nerys," he whispered huskily.

"Yes… "

"Come to me, Nerys, I beg you… please come to me..." 

There was no question in her eyes. She knew what he meant and he held his breath when she rose from the chair and started moving towards him. He swallowed hard as he watched the rosy tinge of her skin. As she moved towards him she pulled the skirt higher and higher until she held it in its entirety just low enough not to allow him to see her. The sight of her like that - her beautiful legs, that blush on her face, the passion in her eyes - was nearly enough to send him over the top. He closed his eyes and swallowed again. She reached him and he pulled his chair back. He watched her eyes widen as she saw him, but she did not hesitate when she kneeled before him, put her hand around his throbbing erection and took him into her hot, wet mouth. He'd never expected her to do that and the suddenness of it all made his mind go reeling. When she nearly managed to accommodate all of him, he closed his eyes shut. 

"Oh, Great Gul!" he moaned and grabbed the edges of the chair so hard it hurt. The feel of her warm flesh grabbing him tightly, her tongue swirling around him made his breathing ragged and he knew he would come right away. "I can't take that, Nerys, I can't hold back…"

In answer to his admission he felt her tongue swirl faster around his hard member and he cried out as the release came crashing down on him with the tidal forces of a tsunami. The thought of it being her doing that to him was too much, too sudden, too good… and he shot his seed into her warm, welcoming mouth. He had to restrain himself not to thrust into her. 

His violent release had not lessened his erection however and moments later, when he had collected himself a little, he pulled her to her feet and dragged her into his lap. She sank down onto him in a swift movement and he watched her as she gasped out loud and flung her head back at the intensity of the sensations. He reveled at the sight of her. She was beautiful, truly beautiful. He grabbed her waist and helped her move on him. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers and sucked her tongue into his mouth, kissing her eagerly. She did not resist him, quite the contrary, she put her arms around his neck and her hands slid into his hair, to pull his head closer. Her responsiveness and her eagerness made his arousal grow fast. He held her waist firmly in his hands as he thrust once, twice, three times inside her and she met him with equal vigor. She groaned, pulled away from him and then she bit down hard on one of his neck-ridges. He gasped and moved his hand down between them to caress her, determined to bring her with him before he came once more, and he felt a twinge of satisfaction when that was all that was necessary to push her over the edge. He forced his eyes open to watch her as the release came crashing down on her, with incredible force. The look on her face was a beautiful sight. She threw her head back and he leaned forward to kiss her throat, licking his way to her full lips and they kissed. She responded enthusiastically and Dukat reveled in the sensation. He had never really believed that he would experience Kira participating in such an act with him. 

"Oh, Nerys…" he groaned as his second release came over him, not as violent as the first, but still very sweet. 

13.

Julian found himself being pushed up against a wall when he and Garak materialized in their quarters. 

"Julian," Garak hissed. "I want you, right now… " Julian simply nodded and his arousal was just as strong as Garak's. He was pulling at the Cardassian's tunic in almost frenzied movements. He leaned forward to capture Garak's mouth for a kiss and the older man's hands roamed over his body, from his buttocks, over his hips, up to his shoulders and into his hair, tugging his head closer for a harsher, more intense kiss. Julian could feel his own rock hard member press against Garak's insistent erection and they thrust against each other almost violently. 

"Oh, Garak, I want you too…" he gasped and didn't even flinch when he heard the ripping of fabric as Garak pulled his pants down. In turn he pulled the tunic off of Garak and threw it onto the floor. Julian drank the sight of the Cardassian's beautifully sculpted chest. The pants went the same way in a hurry and soon they were both standing there naked before each other. He moaned aloud when Garak slid his hands down between them and started caressing his shaft. They kept kissing eagerly. There was no time for elaborate foreplay, they both knew what they wanted. Julian pushed at Garak to make him move towards the bedroom, but the Cardassian resisted. 

"No time," he grunted. "Great Gul, there's no time for that, Julian." Instead Garak took Julian's hand to his mouth and suckled intensely at his fingers. Julian watched the fire in his lover's eyes and obliged. Garak leaned down and closed his lips around Julian's erection, licking, wetting him generously. Julian gasped at the feeling of his lover's hot mouth around him, but Garak quit what he was doing before Julian could really enjoy it. Then he turned around and leaned against the table standing behind them. Julian moved his hand down between Garak and himself and pressed his fingers gently into the Cardassian's taut opening. Resisting his own desperate need to simply slam into his lover he carefully massaged the opening to make it easier for Garak, but the older man simply pressed against him and begged. 

"Now, Julian, now!" 

Not needing to be asked twice, Julian pressed inside Garak and both men moaned aloud as they joined. 

"This is going to be a quick one!" Julian warned between ragged breaths. 

"I know. Gods, Julian, I know!" Garak grunted as Julian slammed into him hard. Their movements were frantic and Julian knew he would not be able to hold back for long, so he reached around Garak's waist and grabbed the older man's throbbing erection, pumping hard. He barely had time to touch his lover before Garak moaned in abandon and came all over his hand. Garak's intense orgasm forced Julian to reach his own release. 

14.

"What in the name of the Prophets happened in here, Dukat?" she groaned as she relaxed in his lap. He pushed her up so he could look into her eyes. 

"I think I know, Nerys, but I promise you, I had nothing to do with it! You have to believe me…" 

"It doesn't matter," she said tiredly. "It happened. You know now without a shadow of a doubt that I am attracted to you as well. How or why it happened is really of no consequence."

"But it does matter to me. It does matter to me that you believe me…" he insisted. 

"Then tell me," she said. 

"I believe it was Garak and Dr. Bashir…" 

"Garak and Julian? What makes you believe that?" she said and pulled back a little. His grip around her waist tightened. He didn't want her to go. He wanted to feel her close to him for a while longer. He relaxed, just a little, when she made no move to get out of his embrace. She just stared quizzically at him. He looked away. He supposed he had to tell her the truth, or else she would never believe him. 

"Elim… Garak and I - we used to be lovers and I could wager my soul on the fact that he was the one underneath that table. I'd recognize his touches, his caresses anywhere." Dukat admitted. 

"You and - Garak? I don't believe it. You two hate each other…"

"There is a story behind that and we were lovers long before those things ever happened." 

"All right, just for the sake of argument, let's say it was indeed Garak. Why the hell would he be doing that?" 

"I really, truly don't know, Nerys. But I plan to find out."

"And if that was Garak I can only surmise that the one touching me was Julian… That does make sense - all those questions he was asking about our 'date'…. Oh my god, that brat. I am going to kill him!"

Kira started squirming to get out of Dukat's lap, but he held her tight. 

"I don't plan to let you go just yet. It won't be midnight for several more hours..."

END


	2. One Man's Loss ...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to Dire Dinner Distractions and I recommend you read that first before venturing onto this one. It will make more sense that way. This is not set in canon at all and a placement in canon timeline is hardly possible or necessary to achieve. 
> 
> FAIR WARNING: I am a Du/K fan myself, and a G/B fan, never doubt that. However, this story might be a little disconcerting for both these groups of fans. The pairing is mainly Dukat and Garak and deals with very strong feelings between these men. M/m sex.

Dukat had a very difficult time dealing with what had really happened. Not the part with Major Kira. He loved the fact that he had finally gotten her where he wanted her - in his arms and into his bed. Where that might lead, he didn't know, but he would be sure to find out - soon. But there was something else weighing heavily on his mind. More than he had ever anticipated, in fact. There was something he realized he had to deal with first, before getting further involved with Major Kira Nerys. 

Elim, he thought. His was the name that over the past three decades had made him cringe with hatred and contempt. Elim Garak, the man who had held his heart in his hands and crushed it, without even looking back. Elim Garak of the Obsidian Order, his father's murderer… 

He thought he had gotten over Garak and put the feelings for the other man behind him, buried them deep in the mists of the past. He thought the feelings he once had for Garak had transformed into hatred and nothing more. And then, this happened. Elim and that wretched doctor took matters into their own hands. How could he have allowed Garak to do that to him, not even protesting - encouraging him in fact? He knew why. Guls, he knew why. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard at the memory of Garak's caresses. 

You are a fool, Dukat, he thought to himself where he was sitting, the breakfast untouched, and deep in thought. What should he do? Should he simply go to Garak and punch him out? Should he bring his phaser and shoot that despicable… tailor, to rid himself of the pain and the hold that man so obviously still had over him? Should he go there and drag him into his bed?

Dukat leaned forward and buried his face in his hands and let his thoughts go back to that time, back to the past, before life got so complex, painful and lonely. He could remember those first words Garak uttered to him as clearly as if it had been yesterday. 

* * *

"Ah, it is so nice to finally meet you, Dukat. I have heard great things about you!"

Dukat turned around with his eye-ridges raised. He did not recognize the voice and yet it sent shivers down his spine. It was rich, vibrant and sexy. When he laid eyes on the man to whom it belonged, his heart nearly stopped beating in his chest. What a dashing young man! As usual he regained his composure swiftly and bowed gracefully towards the man who appeared to be merely a couple of years older than himself. 

"And you are?" he inquired with solemn voice as he tried to place the man standing before him. 

"Oh, I am hurt, Dukat. My name is Elim Garak."

"Yes, of course," Dukat responded and felt a flutter in his stomach, Elim Garak, the protege of Enabran Tain. He should have guessed. The man had an air of intrigue and mystery about him, typical for an Obsidian Order agent. The stories around this man, despite his youth, were numerous. "I did not recognize you, but I have heard many great things about you as well."

"Have you, my friend?" Garak replied and put a hand on his back as if to motion Dukat to walk with him. Dukat's heart leapt in his chest. If he was not mistaken, the strong and sudden attraction he felt to this man was most certainly mutual. Dukat smiled his most charming smile as they walked off from the crowded room, speaking companionably.

* * *

Dukat remembered the strong feeling of having met his equal; someone with whom he could share his innermost feelings and ideas. The connection between them had been so immediate. To be sure, they were different in many aspects, but their differences only seemed to make them fit together even more, like two pieces of one whole. Dukat could not remember being as happy as he had been those first weeks of their relationship. Garak's sexual appetite matched his own, as did his intelligence and his humor. Dukat had laughed more than he could ever remember having done before - or after - that time. They stole every minute they could to be together. 

Elim, if things had not gone so terribly wrong between us, where might that have left us today?

Once again he rubbed his eyes, but then he rose from the chair and pushed the memories away. He did not wish to remember what had brought on the hatred between them. For just once he wanted to allow himself to remember those good times. It was the first time in nearly three decades he allowed himself to remember what had actually been good between him and Elim… He wanted to savor that feeling, but then the white, hot rage took hold of him at the memory of seeing his lover leaning over his father's still body, leaning over Legate Dukat with blood on his hands. 

Why, Elim? Why did it have to be you? Why did you betray me?

He winced at the pain he could feel as the thoughts crossed his mind. He hadn't realized how painful this still was to him. For decades he had kept out of Garak's way; stayed away only to meet him whenever it was absolutely necessary or unexpected. Many were the times when he had conjured up a way to kill his former lover, but he had never been able to finish the job. Why that was, he never allowed himself to think too much about. 

I've become too soft. Garak killed my father and I cannot take revenge? 

Dukat knew how the Obsidian Order had been after his father for many years, but he could not fathom how Garak could have taken that particular assignment. He moved away from the table and started pacing as his thoughts became more disturbing by the minute. 

One question had remained the most difficult to answer, the most painful to think about. Had Elim Garak approached him simply to get to his father? Had those feelings they shared never been real? Had he only been a softhearted, naive young man who believed everything Garak said to him, while the older man laughed behind his back? 

"No!" Dukat shouted and punched his fist into the wall. The very real pain in his knuckles made the all too painful memories fade for an instant. 

* * *

Garak was standing in his shop feeling totally numb. Guilt overcame him at the memory of what happened the night before. The incredible passion with which he and Julian had made love, no, had sex - almost violent sex, had not been enough. Garak closed his eyes and he could still feel the sinewy legs of Dukat underneath his hands. His memories filled with the passionate nights he had shared with Dukat and he knew that he still wanted his former lover more than ever. The need was as overwhelming as it was unexpected. 

But what about Julian, his beloved Julian? 

Garak pushed the thoughts of Dukat away and kept going with his work. But it was difficult to concentrate and glimpses of what happened the night before kept reasserting themselves. Flashes of Dukat almost involuntarily spreading his legs, inviting him to touch him more intimately, the feel of Dukat's muscular and wiry thighs beneath his palms. The familiar sensation of Dukat's hard erection in his hands, the taste of the other man in his mouth… Garak moaned softly to himself. 

What an old fool you are. The two of us have hated each other for almost thirty years and now you want him. As if Dukat would let you touch him again - ever.

But the fact that Dukat might not feel the same didn't matter. Garak's feelings took a firm hold of him. Dukat had been his first true love and the feelings when they resurfaced now, after thirty years, were stronger than Garak could ever have imagined. 

He put his work down and decided that it was of no use. He could not concentrate and he had almost no customers this day of the week to take his mind off things. But it was still early in the day and he couldn't close up shop, could he? He desperately needed time to think, alone. He knew that his young lover would be very distraught if he simply closed up shop and disappeared from the establishment without a warning. Therefore, as he made his decision, he walked over to the door and hung the "Closed" sign on its assigned place. Then he drew a deep, calming breath and walked over to the Infirmary. He had to talk to Julian at least. He had to try and make him understand. 

How can I make Julian understand, when I don't understand it myself? 

Garak scolded himself. He should have stopped Julian from talking him into that stupid prank. If he hadn't agreed to it, he wouldn't have been in this predicament in the first place. But he could never have believed that Dukat would have this hold over him, after all these years. 

I believed I could do it, without ruining anything between me and Julian, but it appears I was wrong… 

Garak sighed deeply and felt like the weight of the entire station lay on his shoulders. 

* * *

Julian was sitting by his console in the Infirmary, going over some bacterial samples when Garak entered. He turned around with a strained smile on his lips. He had just been thinking about Garak - not very pleasant thoughts either. He might be naive and young, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that the relationship between him and Garak had changed forever last night. He rose to his feet and pulled the Cardassian into his arms and kissed him on the ridges that went from his chin to his ear. 

"Elim, just the person I wanted to see…" he began, trying to sound his normal cheerful self, but not succeeding entirely. He looked closely at his lover. Garak's form was stiff and unresponsive. Julian pulled back, staring at him. 

"What's the matter, Elim?" he queried, feeling butterflies in the pit of his stomach. Something was definitely wrong here and he had quite a good idea of what it might be. 

"We need to speak, Julian," Garak said softly, and Julian's chest tightened. 

Julian felt fear wash over him. Had he lost Garak? Because of one stupid idea, had he lost Garak for good? 

"As you wish," Julian managed to respond calmly, although his stomach was churning in a way that made him want to vomit. He put a hand lightly on his lover's back and steered him into the privacy of the quarantine room. "What do you want to talk about?" 

Garak seemed evasive and Julian simply wanted to sit down. His legs were wobbly and he slumped down on a chair in front of Garak. 

"I do not wish to hurt you…" Garak began. The nausea got stronger inside Julian as he watched Garak's stern face. "And I wish I didn't have to, but… "

"It's Dukat, isn't it? Dukat and my stupid idea?" 

Garak simply nodded and sat on the chair in front of Julian as if his legs could not carry him either. 

"I love you, Julian," Garak said, leaned forward and touched his chin. Garak's impossibly blue eyes were filled with pain, and Julian's heart slowed somewhat. "But it appears that the feelings I once had for Dukat have resurfaced, and I need some time to think. Would you grant me this?" 

"This is not good bye?" Julian said with a slight tinge of hope in his voice.

"I wish I could say no for certain, Julian, but I simply do not know. I am sorry."

Garak withdrew his hand and the emptiness Julian felt when the cool air brushed against his skin hurt. Garak rose and got out of the Infirmary without another word. Julian sat and watched his lover go with a hole in his chest, where his heart should have been. 

Gods, the only person I have ever really, truly loved is slipping away from me and I only have myself to blame. How could I ever have been so stupid, Julian thought to himself.

* * *

Major Kira woke up feeling like someone had hit her over the head with a baseball bat. She had sneaked back to her own quarters at the small hours of the morning, feeling like a thief in the night. She couldn't believe what she had done. She couldn't believe what Julian and Garak had done! 

She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. A tingling sensation spread in her body at the mere thought of what Dukat and she had been up to the night before. She felt the warm blush creep up on her face at the thought of how she had acted. But Dukat hadn't seemed to mind at the time, quite the contrary… 

Kira bit her lip. She really wanted to blame Julian and Garak for last night, but she couldn't. She was too honest for that. She wanted to cry at the Prophets for putting her in that situation, but why shout at them? She could have just shoved her chair back and leaned down to see who was touching her and she could have run screaming out of Dukat's quarters. He had not forced her into anything. She could have done many things to stop what had happened, but she hadn't. And the pure and simple truth was that she hadn't wanted to. She had wanted him. She had wanted it all. 

The evening had been the single most erotic experience in her life. As soon as Julian started caressing her, the realization why Dukat was so preoccupied had dawned on her. His inability to concentrate on what she was saying had been driving her mad. The image of someone sitting underneath the table, caressing him while he was talking to her, trying to hide it - oh, she had to admit it - it had really titillated her. Even now, the mere thought of it sent warm spikes of arousal through her body and she groaned. 

Even after Dukat told her who those mystery guests were she still enjoyed the memory. She felt embarrassed, sure. How could she face Garak, Bashir or even Dukat today? What was she going to say? Where would this lead?

Again, Kira groaned and got out of the bed. She didn't have a choice. Her shift would begin in an hour. She just had to be there on time, and she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid any of the men.

* * *

Dukat left his quarters, heading for a turbolift. He needed to get to the Promenade to speak with Garak. He had to clear this up before he could go on with his life and leave this whole mess behind him. It was something he should have done years ago, he realized, but somehow, he never seemed to have had the courage to do that before. Perhaps it was easier now, because of what happened? Perhaps Garak had had feelings for him after all? And perhaps he should listen to his side of the story, just once? Then, if it wasn't an answer he liked he could always kill him afterwards… 

Dukat's heart nearly stopped in his chest when the turbolift halted at the level of the Promenade and Garak stood before him. His mouth went totally dry, and he could do nothing but nod. 

Elim, always so attractive…

Garak stood there, silently, hesitating for a second but then he entered the lift and stood beside Dukat. They were not alone in the car and Dukat wanted to talk to Garak, alone, so he simply stood there. He waited, bided his time, not saying anything, until the woman who stood between them left. Dukat still kept silent and Garak did not even look at him as the car kept going. The silence between them was overwhelming. Finally Dukat could not stand it anymore. 

"Why did you do it?" 

That was when the turbolift stopped and the lights went out.

"What in the Great Gul's name is going on?" Garak spat. Dukat could hear him rustling about in the complete blackness, panic overtaking his senses. Suddenly he remembered the other man's fear of closed spaces. 

The memory made him feel strange. It brought back the memories of another time when they had been confined together in a cell. They had been drinking a bit too much and ended up in the brig of a Galor Class Starship. Dukat swallowed at the memory of how he had managed to calm Garak down that time around. He had kissed him and caressed him, soothing him until they both were consumed by their feelings for one another and they ended up making love. A familiar tightening in his groin was a response to the memory. He pushed away the arousal and allowed himself to feel the other emotion instead. He felt protective of Garak and before he could examine his reactions he stepped forward and put his hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Elim… calm down, Elim. I am here. They will get us out of here as soon as they can."

"I... can't… stay… here!" Garak hissed between clenched teeth as he kept smashing his hands against the door. 

Dukat felt the older man tremble underneath his hands and he stepped forward, closer to Garak and then he did what felt most natural. He pulled him into his embrace. He closed his eyes momentarily. It felt so much better than he could have imagined. 

Don't think about your father, Dukat told himself. 

"They will get us out of here!" he said as steadily as he could. It was all he could do to keep his own voice from trembling. But his feeling had nothing to do with fear. "It might just be a temporary thing. Will you be okay while I try to contact the captain?"

Not even the emergency lights were on, but Dukat pushed Garak away just a little bit to be able to activate his wrist-communicator. 

"Dukat to Captain Sisko. What is going on?" 

"Dukat… " Sisko responded tiredly. "What do you want?"

"The turbolift which I am currently occupying has stopped between two floors. You wouldn't happen to know what is wrong?" 

"I do. There's been an explosion in one of the power conduits. It blew out the entire power-grid to the turbo-lifts, force-fields, transporters, replicators and a whole bunch of other subsystems and O'Brien is working on it right now."

"Ah, I see. Is there no other way to get out of here?" Dukat queried. 

"No, I don't think so. There is a hatch in the roof of the lift, but I don't think it will do you any good since all power to the doors and airlocks are out too. You won't be able to get out. Are you alone in there?"

"No, Garak is with me."

There was a long silence. 

"Try not to kill each other, I am afraid you will be stuck there for a few hours. I will contact you every hour to inform you of any progress. We're lucky to have communications on line."

"I see. Thank you Captain."

He tapped his wrist-communicator and Garak, who had been silent throughout the entire conversation, still remained quiet. 

"Garak?" Dukat whispered. "Are you all right?" 

* * *

Garak felt like the walls of the turbo-lift were closing in on him. As if the walls slowly but steadily shrank before him, getting closer by the second. Bright spots danced before his eyes and his heartbeat thudded so violently in his ears that he could barely hear the reassuring voice of his former lover. 

Dukat…

Then he felt the touch on his shoulders again. 

The warm hands of Dukat…

"Garak, talk to me. Are you okay?" 

"No, I am not okay!" Garak snapped. "I feel horrible. You talk to me, make me forget where we are. You said something to me when the lights went out. What was it?" He hated himself for the weakness and he steeled himself from the feelings Dukat's hands were provoking in him. All he wanted to do was pull Dukat into his arms. Forget where they were, forget everything - except how much he wanted this man. 

"It is of no importance, Elim. Just forget about that."

"No, I don't want to forget about it!" he shouted. "Tell me what you were saying." If he simply made Dukat angry it would be easier to ensure that the other man did not realize what was happening to him.

Wasn't this what you wanted, to tell Dukat the truth? 

Dukat's hands fell from his shoulders and Garak drew a silent sigh of relief at the same time as the fear arose in his chest and he wanted to scream at Dukat to hold him close; to touch him; to drive the fear away. 

He has seen me like this before. But then, back then we were closer, much closer.

Garak could see, in his mind's eye, how Dukat's face closed. He knew that look so well. The man changed from concern to closing up in a fraction of a second. Dukat's face had always been so expressive. He wore his heart on his sleeve as the Earth saying went… 

That was one of the many reasons he had fallen for Dukat in the first place all those years ago. The strange vulnerability, combined with the ruthlessness, the humor and the quick wit, and the power that exuded from the man, the power and even the arrogance. He had loved all those qualities in Dukat. In a way, he obviously still did although he hadn't been aware of it. 

"As you wish. I asked you why you did it…" Dukat said and Garak closed his eyes for a moment. 

So this was it? Finally Dukat came to him and asked right out.

"Why did I kill your father?" Garak finished for him before Dukat said it out loud. 

* * *

Dukat jumped at the words. That wasn't at all what he had meant. He had only meant to ask Garak why he and Dr. Bashir had been in his quarters, doing what they did last night. But Garak had come to the point in a very uncharacteristic way. 

"That wasn't what I was asking," he said harshly as the truth dawned on him. Of course, Garak had no idea he knew that it was him and Bashir who hid in his quarters the night before. It was easy to understand why Garak believed his question was more serious than it was intended to be.

The arousal Dukat had felt only moments ago vanished in an instant as the memories flashed back on him. 

Garak, leaving him…   
Garak, laughing at him…   
Garak, sitting on the floor with his father's life's blood all over his hands…   
Garak's eyes, looking up at him - empty…

The arousal was replaced with pain and anger; an all-consuming rage. He wanted to reach out and hit Garak squarely across the face. Beat him so badly that he could never get up again. But he had to know - he needed to know, the truth. 

"But you wish to know, don't you?" Garak coaxed him with a slight tinge of contempt in his voice. 

"Yes, I do," Dukat admitted and fought to suppress the almost overwhelming rage. "But I don't think this is the time…"

"This is the perfect time!" Garak hissed. "You can't run away from the truth now. You've kept running away from me for years, for decades. Now - now you will finally have to listen to the truth!" Garak's voice rose, the panic attack all but gone. Now his voice was full of anger and the same pain Dukat felt. 

"The truth?" Dukat spat condescendingly. "Aren't you the one always saying that there is no truth? Truth is in the eye of the beholder. Truth is what you want it to be? Truth is something to be twisted and used to your own advantage? Isn't that what you have always done?"

"I have never lied to you!" Garak said with pain in his voice. Without warning even the anger was gone. 

Dukat's heart was pounding in his chest and he felt almost nauseated. What was Garak going to tell him? The memory of him, hunching beside his father's still body, was so clear in his mind even now, so many years later. 

"Really?" Dukat said coldly. "How about your promise to love me?" Garak gasped and Dukat smiled to himself. Even though he could not see the other man he knew his words had hit home, so he kept going. "You promised you would love me, always. Do you remember?"

"How could I ever forget?"

* * *

Garak closed his eyes as the memories flooded over him. 

The night in question was the night he had first told Dukat how he felt about him. They had spent an entire week together at the Dukat family's residence in the Lakar'thati Province, making love, eating good food, relaxing and finally they had professed their undying love for each other. Garak had never been so happy in his life, not even with Julian. 

Back then he had been young, full of hopes of the future. The possibilities had been endless and he had been one of the most powerful men on Cardassia - the second in command of the Obsidian Order. Dukat had truly become his 'other half' and the future had been sparkling, promising, wonderful… 

Then the reality came crashing down on him and he remembered why that time had come to a very abrupt and painful end. 

"But you forget something, Dukat. You betrayed me!" Garak hissed. "You married Elena." 

Dukat was silent as if he had been rendered speechless. And perhaps he had been, Garak thought to himself. This was the first time ever that he even hinted to Dukat how he felt about his marriage to Elena. When it happened he had simply left Cardassia without even talking to his lover, hurt beyond comprehension. He accepted his fate and went on a mission for the Order. When he came back he hadn't had time to talk to Dukat before that dreadful scene. Garak could still see the expression on his lover's face as he found him sitting there by Dukat's father's dead body. 

"Is that why you left me?" Dukat said. His voice sounded breathless as if the truth just now had dawned on him. 

"Yes. Guls, Dukat! How did you expect me to react? You married another!" 

"I never realized. So that is why you killed my father?" Dukat''s voice was soft, almost as if he was musing over something trivial; something that he no longer cared about. Garak knew him well enough to realize that this was not the case. "You killed my father, for revenge?" Dukat's voice grew harsher and filled with conflicting emotions, as if he didn't really know what to make of it all. 

"No, Dukat!" Garak said and moved closer to the younger man. "No, that is not what happened. You still don't get it, do you? I didn't kill your father. I was an operative of the Obsidian Order - true. But I didn't kill your father."

"Then what happened, Elim?" Dukat asked impatiently. "No more mindgames, no more lies. Just tell me the plain and simple truth for once, Elim."

Garak sighed. Telling it like it was, it was so quaint, so lacking of finesse - something he rarely did, but even he realized there was a time and place for mindgames and there was also a time and place for truth and openness. This was one of those times. Instead of leading Dukat on and giving him halftruths and innuendo, Garak opened his mouth and gave him - the truth. 

"I was after the man who did kill your father. I arrived too late and what you saw was me, trying to find out if your father was beyond help or not. He was dead before I even arrived. He had been dead for more than an hour, Dukat. His body was cold. Did that never strike you as peculiar? Did you think I would stay there for more than an hour with your father's body and his blood on my hands simply to make sure that you would find me there? I would never hurt you like that. How could you think I would ever hurt you like that? I loved you!" 

* * *

Dukat knew Elim too well not to know when he was telling the truth. Perhaps he was one of the few, maybe even the only person who knew him well enough to know this. And right now Elim Garak was not lying, he could wager his life on that. 

* * *

Kira was working hard, trying to concentrate on everything but the night before, not succeeding very well. Therefore she was almost grateful when the station's systems failure occurred. It put her mind at ease, at least for a while. 

Around noon however, Julian entered Ops, seeming lost and quite upset. Kira frowned. Now what? Should she walk over to Julian and bite his head off? Her first reaction would have been to do just that if she hadn't… 

She found herself remembering the surprising tenderness Dukat had shown, and the excitement she had felt at his caresses. She had to admit it to herself, it had been even better than she could have hoped for. 

But of course, she couldn't just let it all go at that, Julian's actions had been very crude. She felt the blush creep up on her face when she realized that he… Julian was the one who… Those long, slender fingers had… he had… Prophets! It was embarrassing and she felt the anger come back. 

She also realized that if Dukat could identify Garak from what he had done, Garak would most certainly be aware of it - and Julian would probably find out pretty soon. He would realize that she too, knew it was him and Garak who pulled that stunt. So, instead of procrastinating, she decided to confront the problem right up. 

With a determination to get to the bottom of the whole thing, and at least trying to avoid biting Julian's head off she walked over to him. He certainly seemed like he could use a friend rather than a foe right now anyway. Kira frowned. To be quite honest, he looked like he just lost his best friend. 

* * *

Julian walked around in a daze. His mind was filled with pain. He couldn't believe what he had done. He had invited this. Garak had, for once told him the truth and he hadn't even seen the significance of it. 

He told me how he felt about Dukat and I didn't even hear the warning bells ring. I stomped into the situation without even considering the consequences. But I trusted him. I believed he loved me - and he does, Julian. Garak does love you, but does he care enough for you to leave Dukat behind?

I should have known there was danger there. It was obvious from the way those two have always looked at each other with such profound hatred, such strong emotions. I never even realized where those feelings came from. Strong hatred like that can only stem from utter betrayal. Only love can turn into such burning contempt. 

Now what do you do, Julian? 

He needed to talk to someone and the only one he could think of who might understand his feelings was Major Kira Nerys. He drew a deep sigh, logged out from the computer and moved towards Ops. 

* * *

Operations was buzzing with activity. 

"There's been another short-out in the power-grid. Transporters are still off line. Replicators and airlocks are out and…"

Julian stopped listening to the reports. There was nothing he could do about this. There were no wounded, no casualties and his shift at the infirmary was over. He felt like the entire world was against him and he turned around to leave. 

"Julian, Julian, wait. I need to talk to you!" 

It was Major Kira's voice and Julian stopped dead in his tracks. 

"Aren't you busy?" he asked as he turned around. 

"There's nothing I can do. I always feel completely helpless when there's something like this going on. Rom, Jadzia, O'Brien and his teams are the ones who have the situation under control. And I really need to talk to you. Besides, it's lunch time anyway."

"I am at your service," he tried to joke and tensed when he saw the strange look on Nerys' face. 

"I am sure you are," she responded as her eyes shrunk to slits. "But I think we should talk a little more privately. It's important. It's about last night…"

Julian felt a flush creep up on his face and he nodded. She knew… 

* * *

Dukat slid to the floor with a feeling of numbness in his throat. He had made so many mistakes in his life he didn't even know how to begin to make sense of them. But he had always believed that he was not responsible for the mistakes made between him and Elim. It seemed he was wrong, wrong about that as he was about so many other things in life. He couldn't believe it. He leaned forward to rest his head to his knees and hardly noticed when the emergency lights came on. 

Garak had not killed his father. So many years of hatred, pain and feelings of betrayal - had they all been for nothing? He felt almost dizzy at the mere thought of it. Thirty years of loneliness, decades when he could have been at this man's side. 

"Sisko to Dukat."

He didn't even move. He hardly noticed when Garak slid down beside him and grabbed the communicator. 

"Dukat, are you there?" 

"This is Garak, Captain. Gul Dukat is… indisposed at the moment."

"Garak, what have you done?" 

"I assure you, I have done him no harm."

"Garak…" the captain began, but was interrupted by Dukat. 

"I am all right, Captain. I am touched by your concern, but I assure you there is no need to worry about my well-being."

"I am - glad to hear that."

"I am sure you are, Captain," Dukat said with a tired voice. His usual mocking gone. "How long can we expect to be trapped in this lift?" 

"For another two hours at least. I am sorry, but the transporters are still malfunctioning and chief O'Brien and the rest of the technicians can't start working on them until Operations is fully functional again."

"Can't you use any of the ship's transporters?"

"I would be happy to do so, Dukat. If the airlocks were working I would be delighted to go to the Defiant so I could get the two of you out of there before you kill one another. As it is now we cannot reach the transporters of any of the shuttles, or the Defiant. So, I am afraid you are stuck in there with your fellow Cardassian for another couple of hours at least."

* * *

"How did you find out?" Julian said tiredly as they sat by a secluded table at the replimat. It was empty of course. Julian supposed there was no reason for people to sit there since the replicators were still off line. 

"That doesn't really matter, does it?" Kira said and her voice was pretty rough. She sounded like she was only seconds away from snapping. Perhaps he deserved it. Julian almost wished Kira would punch him out. However, that wouldn't help matters much. It was too late. 

"I suppose not."

"This is the most embarrassing thing I've ever been through in my entire life!" 

Julian nodded and he couldn't stop himself from allowing a faint smile creep up on his lips. He could see why she would think that. If it hadn't been for what had happened afterwards he would have enjoyed teasing her a little about it. He might even have wanted to repeat the experience. But now? Now he realized he might have ruined the best thing that ever happened to him on a stupid little adventure. 

"What I don't understand is why you did it, Julian? I don't understand your motives." Kira said, obviously trying to keep her voice down although it was pretty obvious she was quite angry with him. 

"Isn't that rather obvious? You might hate Dukat, but in truth, there is a lot more to your feelings for him than you would care to admit. We just decided to give you a little push that is all. " 

"What gives you the right to mess with our lives?" Kira said. "I confided in you! And you use it against me like this. You - forced yourself on me!" 

"Nerys, come on. You know that isn't true. You could have ended the whole thing with a simple word or kicking me in the face. You did nothing of the sort."

Kira opened her mouth to protest, but was stopped when Julian held up his hand. "Listen Nerys. I would never have kept going if you had given me the slightest hint that you didn't like what I was doing. However, I know I overstepped my boundaries and if you want me to apologize, I will. I didn't mean to mess up your life, Nerys, I was only trying to help you," he continued, "You want him, don't you? I only wanted you to loosen up a little bit." Kira didn't answer and bit her lip, and Julian knew he was right. "Now will you tell me how you found out that it was us?" 

"Dukat told me," she admitted and a blush crept up on her face. Julian lifted his head and his heart began beating harder. Had something happened between them after he and Garak beamed out after all? 

"How did he know?" 

"Uhm… I don't know if Garak told you, but they used to be lovers." 

"I know," Julian responded and averted his gaze. Kira seemed to be on her way to pursue the matter further, then she frowned and stopped herself. 

"Does that bother you? It was a long time ago." 

Julian drew a deep breath. "Not the fact in itself so much as the fact that it seems Garak still has feelings for Dukat. I think they are together as we speak."

Kira's eyes shrank to mere slits. "Dukat and Garak - together? But they hate each other now!"

"I know…" Julian drew another deep breath and plunged himself into the short explanation Garak had given him only a few days ago. He told Kira all he knew about Garak's feeling of betrayal when Dukat married his wife and Dukat's hatred because of the misunderstanding surrounding his father's death. "…Garak will probably explain the truth to Dukat and god only knows what will happen then. There is no longer any reason for them to hate each other." Julian concluded. 

"Julian," Kira said and grabbed his hand. "I know that you love Garak and that you trust him, but you know what he is like. He can twist the truth into whatever way, shape or form he wishes and you can never be sure that he is telling things the way they really happened."

Julian looked into Kira's eyes and watched her draw back. "I know you hate Cardassians Kira, and I know you mistrust Garak - and Dukat," Kira looked down."… but the simple fact is that Garak does not lie to me. He might tell the truth in a roundabout way and he might even keep secrets from me and choose not to tell me certain things. But he does not lie to my face. If he did, our relationship would mean nothing. And if that were the case he wouldn't have done what he did this morning. He asked me to give him time, he practically asked my permission to sort out his feelings for Dukat. If he didn't care about me, he would never have been even that considerate."

Kira nodded, quite obviously feeling a little uncomfortable. 

"But what makes you think that Dukat will believe Garak?"

"Because they still care about each other." Kira silenced and Julian knew that she, too, was wondering why she hadn't seen it before. "The question is what we're going to do about it?" he continued. 

"What are we going to do about it?" she repeated with a puzzled look on her face. 

"Honestly Nerys, do you want to lose Dukat now?" 

Kira bit her lip again and her gaze grew distant as she pondered the question. Julian drew a deep sigh of relief when he saw the jealousy there. 

"No," she admitted. "I don't. And I'll fight for him if I have to."

* * *

"Dukat? Are you all right?" Garak queried. 

The other man laughed softly. "Yes, I am fine Garak, but what about you? We'll be in here for a while you know. Are you going to be able to cope with that?" 

"I don't know. I feel better now that the emergency lights are on." He silenced and then he sighed. "I did not kill your father. I hope you believe that I am telling the truth for once." Garak looked at Dukat. He was sitting in front of him, so close that all he had to do to touch him was reach out with his hand. Dukat was resting against the wall of the turbolift with his head leaned back and his eyelids closed. His face was strict with control and Garak knew that Dukat was not "fine" but that he would not admit it readily. Dukat opened his eyes at Garak's question. 

"Yes… yes, I do believe that you are telling the truth. Why didn't you ever tell me before?"

Garak didn't respond at once. Why hadn't he said anything before? Lack of opportunity? No, he could have created one. He might be exiled from Cardassia but he still had connections in the Order. He could have told Dukat had he really wanted to. Pain? Yes, that was probably a part of it. Dukat had married Elena and started producing children shortly thereafter. But most of all… 

"What would have been the use, Dukat?" he asked. "Would it have changed anything?" 

Dukat stood and started pacing back and forth in the closed up space. He too remained silent for a time and didn't respond right away. His uneasy movements were beginning to agitate Garak. His activity made it harder to concentrate on what they were talking about and harder for him to block out the fact that the lift was such a small place. Garak drew a deep breath and tried to calm himself. 

"It would have changed things for me. At least I would not have been forced to live with the belief that the person I loved more than anyone else had murdered my father." Dukat's voice was harsh and restrained as if the pain was too much to bear. 

"I was never a kind man. You know that, Dukat. I might have taken pleasure in knowing that you were hurting. I might not have killed your father with my own hands, but I did take advantage of the circumstances. I wanted you to hurt as much as I did!" he admitted. 

"I never realized how much pain I caused you."

"No," Garak said dryly. "That has always been one of your less redeeming qualities. You always set yourself and your needs before anyone else's. I've seen that time and time again."

"What are you talking about?" Dukat spat and stopped pacing and froze right in front of him. Those pale blue eyes bore deep inside Garak's, but Garak was one of the few who did not feel the need to look away. Dukat might be an imposing man but Garak had never been afraid of him, ever. Instead of avoiding the question Garak too rose to his feet and held Dukat's gaze steadily. 

"You really want to know? Do you?" he challenged.

"Yes," Dukat hissed, even though Garak could see the pain and the fear inside those eyes. Dukat would not back down now. He never knew what was best for him, Garak thought with a half-smile. 

"You married Elena, because it would give you a great opportunity to boost your career in Central Command. Little did you care what it did to me. You didn't care about Elena's feelings when you took a new lover on Terok Nor, because that was what you wanted. Naprem was torn away from her family and her friends to become your mistress." Garak held up his hand when Dukat started to protest. "Yes, Naprem loved you, Ziyal has assured me of that many times, but what choice did you give her? You can be a charming bastard when you want and you know how to make people love you. But you have to admit that Naprem would never have been yours to begin with if she had any choice in the matter! You left Ziyal here to go on a fruitless chase after the Klingons. God, I listened to her cry after you so many times…"

"Stop it!" Dukat shouted and punched Garak into the wall. "Just be quiet!"

"But still, despite all this, we all loved you. I loved you, Elena loved you and so did Naprem and Ziyal… and so does Major Kira even if she does not know it yet."

That's when Dukat leaned forward and kissed him hungrily and Garak was lost. 

* * *

Dukat's heart was beating so hard he thought it would beat its way out of his chest. He felt anger and pain, and he felt exhilaration and arousal - all at the same time. The pain was for all the lost time, for the truth that Garak's words held. He felt anger for the very same reasons, exhilaration because Garak had never been responsible for his father's death. 

He also felt slightly angered because of the fact that this was happening right now. Finally he had a chance to get a relationship going with the good old Major; a woman he had felt so attracted to for so long. And yet… Garak was there… the feelings he had for the man could no longer be considered wrong. He was allowed to let them resurface. He was allowed to feel love and passion for this man again and he could not hold back. He simply leaned forward and pulled Garak into his embrace. He loved the feeling of the other man's lips against his and he was not being gentle when he pushed Garak's lips apart to kiss him.

Garak didn't protest, but he didn't respond right away either. Dukat knew he had taken Garak by surprise and he wondered for a brief moment if he had made a mistake. But when Garak finally did respond, his reaction was violent. Dukat felt the other man's hands tug at his hair to pull him closer. Garak's kisses were so hard that their teeth pushed into their lips. Dukat could feel the faint taste of salty blood mingled with the familiar taste of Garak's spicy kiss. He moaned. How he had longed for this. Ever since he realized who was underneath that table in his quarters last night he had barely been able to think about anything else. 

Forgotten was the pain, forgotten was the anger, forgotten was everything but this all consuming passion he felt for Garak. Forgotten were Major Kira Nerys and Doctor Julian Bashir. 

* * *

Garak felt like he was burning up inside. The feelings washing over him were like fire, like hot flames rippling through his body, touching his skin. He inhaled deeply and enjoyed the feeling of Dukat's pheromones working their magic. It had been so long. He had missed this so much, Dukat's scent, his rough kisses and hard caresses. He had missed Dukat's violent lovemaking. He dug his fingers into Dukat's luscious black hair and pulled the man closer for another kiss. Their tongues met in an agile dance, Garak reveled at Dukat's spicy taste, so different from Julian's, so familiar and yet so - foreign. Garak pushed the thoughts of his young human lover far back into his mind. He wouldn't let that interfere, not now. This felt too good. Instead he moved his hands from Dukat's hair down to his buttocks and pressed closer. It was obvious to him that Dukat was just as aroused as he was. 

"Gods, Elim," Dukat whispered hoarsely. "I had forgotten how good you taste." To emphasize his words he started kissing and nibbling his way over the ridges on Garak's chin and the other man moaned softly. 

"I know. I had forgotten how your scent alone could drive me wild." 

Dukat evidently took this as an invitation to lean forward and pull Garak's head closer to him. He was slightly taller than the other man and Garak complied by leaning forward, anticipating Dukat's intent. When Garak's tongue lapped at the place where the glands, releasing the pheromones into the air, were concentrated, Dukat gasped out loud and let out a low growl. 

"Yes, you've always enjoyed that, haven't you? It's all coming back to me now," Garak teased him lightly. "If I remember correctly you really loved it when I did this…" 

Garak could hear Dukat's breath catch in his throat when he bit down quite hard on the cartilage going from Dukat's shoulder to his neck. Then he continued to bite his way up to the other man's ear and Dukat's hands dug into his shoulders when he clung to him for dear life. 

"Elim," he gasped. "Elim, you know what you're doing to me, don't you?" 

"Yes, I do," Garak admitted and felt the exhilaration almost taking hold of him. He never thought Dukat would let him touch him like this again. It appeared he was wrong and he couldn't wait to make love to his former lover. Right now that was the only thing in life that seemed important enough to even consider doing. 

* * * 

"Sisko to Dukat!" 

The voice in the communicator sounded positively irritated. 

"Sisko to Dukat, are you there?" 

Dukat pulled away and tried to regain his composure. He breath was ragged and shallow and he knew that anyone who saw him now would know he was badly turned-on. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. Then he looked at Garak and smiled at the amusement in the other man's eyes, which was barely visible in the emergency lighting. 

"Dukat here," he responded. 

"It's about time. Are you killing each other off in there?"

"Hardly, Captain… Hardly…" Dukat responded cryptically. 

"All right, that's all I wanted to know. Chief O'Brien has repaired the transporters now and we can beam you two out of there."

"I'd like you to beam the both of us directly to my quarters, Captain." Dukat said. 

"Garak too?"

"Yes."

"Garak?"

"Yes, Captain. That would be most kind of you."

"Are you sure?" Sisko sounded positively disturbed by this idea. 

"Yes, Captain," Garak said again and Dukat grinned widely at the impatience finally creeping into the other man's voice. Garak sounded as if he was questioning the good captain's intelligence. Not that he himself hadn't done that on occasion, Dukat thought. 

"All right," Sisko said, still not sounding completely convinced. 

Relief washed over Dukat. He was quite sure he did not want to appear on the Promenade in his current state… face and neck-ridges charcoal gray with arousal and a hard-on that could be spotted a parsec away. He was quite sure Garak felt the same way. 

* * *

"All right," Julian said. "So what do we do?"

"I don't really know. I'll have to think about this," Kira admitted. She did have an idea forming in her mind, but she didn't know how to present it to Julian. Considering what happened last night, he might take it the wrong way. 

* * *

Garak was in his arms almost before the tingling sensation of the transporterbeam had dissipated, not that Dukat was complaining. He pulled the other man into his embrace and they took up where they had left off. 

"I am sorry to say this, Dukat, but through all these years I have been completely sincere with you when it comes to one thing, and that is when I told you how much I hate your uniform. Would you mind getting rid of the cuirass for me?" 

"As you wish, my dear Elim," Dukat responded with amusement in his voice, and moved back slightly to unbuckle the clasps of the armor. It dropped to the floor with a heavy thud and Dukat felt a slight twinge of regret. He was no longer as muscular and his skin was no longer as silvery gray as it had been the last time they were together, but Garak looked into his eyes and whispered hoarsely. 

"Beautiful, Dukat. You are still the most beautiful Cardassian I have ever seen."

It did not escape Dukat's notice that Garak with his words did not exclude the young human doctor. For some reason he felt no jealousy at this fact. Garak was there, with him, right now and that was all that mattered. He didn't respond. Instead he started undoing the buttons of his pants, but Garak moved closer and pushed his hands away.

"I'd like to uncover this treasure all by myself." 

It was as if they had never been apart. The caresses and the light banter remained the same. The passion was as strong as Dukat had ever felt it. He was amazed at this fact but he felt joy at the sensation. "Joy is vulnerability," he thought but pushed the words away and let himself enjoy the sensations Garak's probing hands caused in him. Those strong, skillful hands opened his trousers swiftly and Dukat closed his eyes, waiting for Garak's next move, and opened his eyes in impatience when Garak didn't do anything else. 

"I just want to look at you," Garak whispered huskily. "You know. I never thought I'd see you like this again. Aroused and wanting me."

Dukat swallowed and watched Garak where he was standing. He was still fully dressed but Dukat could see the passion in those incredibly blue eyes. He had always found the color of Elim's eyes to be fascinating; fascinating and expressive. He reached out with his hand and stroked the other man's chin with a surprisingly gentle touch. 

"I am sorry, Elim," he said huskily. "I should have listened to you. I should have…"

"Don't, Dukat. Don't dwell on the past. It is behind us now and there is nothing we can do about it. Let us enjoy the present instead."

Dukat nodded and swallowed as Garak pulled him close and kissed him once again. His arousal returned to its previous level and their kisses became feverish as they touched each other knowingly, like two lovers who knew each other well, which was exactly what they were. Dukat moved his hands from Garak's shoulders down to the openings of his tunic and skillfully he divested the other man of the garment. Soon they were both standing there wearing only their pants and Dukat could see with perfect clarity that his lover was just as excited as he was. He moved his hands down to Garak's ass and pulled him close. The caresses grew more insistent, to the point where they would have been painful to anyone but a Cardassian. Dukat closed his eyes and reveled at the feeling of Garak's strong hands kneading his buttocks firmly. 

Oh yes, he thought. It was so long ago since anyone caressed me like that. Nobody, not since Elim… He pushed his hips forward to press into Garak and they both gasped as hardness encountered hardness. 

"It seems you have me at a disadvantage," Dukat whispered, his words more a hiss than anything else. 

"Why is that?" Garak responded and moved his hands to Dukat's waist, slipping inside the pants and grabbing his buttocks rather crudely. "It seems to me we are both equally excited. We are both equally undressed - or dressed…"

Dukat opened his eyes and looked into Garak's steel-blue gaze. "I want to taste you," he explained, and couldn't help but smile a lewd smile when he saw the unmasked desire on Garak's face. He knew the other man remembered the night before. 

* * *

The thought of Dukat doing that to him was almost enough to send Garak over the edge and he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath to calm himself. He gasped when he felt Dukat's large hands moving over his muscular stomach down to the fastener of his pants. Dukat used his body weight to force him backwards, moving towards the bedroom. Dukat's eagerness was infectious and Garak complied almost weakly, and soon found himself being pushed back on Dukat's bed. 

He relaxed and watched Dukat move closer. He looked like a predator. That sinewy body moved with an elegant grace that rendered his mouth dry. He'd forgotten just how attractive he found the man. He licked his dry lips and watched as Dukat pulled his trousers of off him. All the while he moved his hands over each square centimeter of skin that was exposed to him. Garak swallowed again. He felt his erection harden more when Dukat moved closer, still dressed in those impossibly tight pants. 

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Garak whispered and tugged at Dukat's trousers. Dukat smiled evilly.

"If my memory serves me right, you used to find me incredibly sexy in tight pants, so I'll keep them on for a little while longer and I'll let you get them off of me later on."

Garak swallowed again and nodded, yielding to the passion. He simply lay down to watch as Dukat moved up over his body. Those lean, but muscular legs straddling him, pressing against his thighs. Dukat's large hands were moving over his thighs, his hips and his stomach, caressing him firmly, moving slowly, and avoiding the place Garak really needed him to touch. Garak's breathing was heavy now and he couldn't stop himself from begging. 

"Dukat…it's been so long since you…please!"

Dukat's pale blue eyes changed instantly at Garak's passionate plea. They darkened to an indigo blue and Garak could no longer see the irises as Dukat leaned forward and closed a hot, wet mouth over his erection and licked the head teasingly. Garak bucked into the other man's mouth and groaned deep in his throat. Dukat did not back away, instead he used his mouth to envelop Garak's erection completely and Garak closed his eyes moaning helplessly, thrashing about on the bed as Dukat moved that wet mouth up and down along the length of him. He licked the sensitive spot behind the head with a light, flickering touch. 

Garak hadn't felt so incredibly aroused in so long. Dukat's agile tongue moved over the hard flesh with the knowledge of a long time lover and Garak realized nobody had ever gotten to know him as well as Dukat did. Nobody knew how to drive him to the edge like that, and then withdraw at the precise right moment to keep the release at bay time and time again. 

"Dukat, oh Guls, Dukat… that is so good," Garak groaned and meant every word of it. 

Dukat responded by simply lowering his mouth over Garak's erection, sucking harder and taking him in fully once more and Garak flung his head back, dug his hands into the sheets so forcefully that they ripped between his fingers. Then he screamed aloud as he came. Wave after wave of incredible pleasure rippled through his body as he cried out in abandon. 

Dukat moved up along his lover's body and lay on top of him as Garak tried to regain his breath. 

"You know…" Dukat said, "I should have demanded that you keep quiet while I was doing that. Do you know how difficult it was for me to keep silent when gave me such a wonderful blowjob last night? But I had to, with Kira sitting there, across the table. I couldn't just shout in joy as you took me in completely. Oh, Elim. You don't know how I felt. You were driving me completely insane!"

"Yes." Garak smiled as his breath was calming. "And as I recall you were never the quiet lover either."

Dukat didn't respond as he began rocking his hips against Garak, drawing attention to his rock hard erection. 

"The question is; are you going to let me cry out in abandon as you lick and suck me to my release or do you want me inside you?"

Garak lifted his arms and drove his hands through Dukat's hair once more and they kissed passionately for a while until they had to draw apart to breathe. 

"I want you… inside me," Garak said huskily. "I want you to take me the way you did that last night in the Lakar'thati Province."

Dukat leaned down and kissed him again. 

"Whatever you want from me, Elim. Whatever you want."

Then he withdrew and Garak followed him to sitting position. 

* * * 

Dukat swallowed hard. The he watched as Garak's nimble fingers caressed his thighs. He was still straddling the other man's thighs and Garak could reach everywhere. Garak's touch sent shivers of pleasure through him. His hands were moving up and down in a firm, caressing motion, sending hot flashes up to his groin. He was turned-on enough as it was, but at the same time he enjoyed feeling Garak touch him like that. He knew how attracted Garak had always been to his legs. 'You're a leg man, Elim' he used to tease him back when they had been lovers. 

Elim had always smiled wickedly at him and said. "Only your legs, Dukat. Only yours."

"I know what you're thinking, lover," Garak whispered into his ear. "And yes, Dukat. You still have the sexiest legs on this side of the Wormhole." With that, Garak pushed him out of his lap and motioned him to stand up. Dukat complied and shut his eyes and enjoyed the feel of Garak's impatience as he pulled his pants down. He stepped out of them and was standing naked before Garak for the first time in three decades. It felt like yesterday.

Garak moved down and pulled him into his mouth without warning and Dukat gasped out loud. Garak pulled away and said with laughter in his voice. 

"You're free to make as much noise as you like now, Dukat."

"I intend to," Dukat responded and placed his hands on Garak's head, pulling him towards him again and Garak complied, sucking him up and down a couple of times until Dukat was moaning out loud and rocking his hips in an encouraging movement. "Guls, Elim. If you keep that up I am going to come," he warned. 

Garak pulled away and Dukat opened his eyes. His lover was already on all fours on the bed and Dukat swallowed hard. The sight of Garak like that was doing things to him; things he needed to do something about - now. His erection grew a little more and he took it in his hand, using his natural lubrication and Garak's saliva to prepare. 

"Come on Dukat, don't keep me waiting," Garak encouraged him huskily. 

Dukat swallowed and knelt behind Garak. 

"I won't. Don't worry, Elim. I have no intention of keeping you waiting."

Then he entered Garak, quickly, as he knew the other man wanted him to. Firmly he grabbed a hold of Garak's hips as the other man tried to squirm away from the sudden intrusion. 

"This is what you wanted, isn't it, Elim?" Dukat grunted harshly, and did not back away. Instead he buried himself deeper into the warmth and depths of Garak's body. He clenched his teeth at the sensations crashing down on him. 

"Oh, yes it is!" Garak admitted and Dukat smiled when he could feel the other man relax underneath him and soon Garak was thrusting back against him in encouraging movements. Dukat closed his eyes and let himself be swallowed by the pleasurable sensations rippling through him. The tightness and warmth around him and Garak's ragged breathing only making his desire stronger. He slammed into Garak hard, loving the feeling of the other man around him. It made him feel like he finally had come home. After so many years, he was finally where he belonged. He leaned forward and pulled Garak up to him. He reveled at the feeling of Garak's muscles and warm flesh touching his chest. He pulled Garak closer, letting the other man rest his head against his shoulders, moving his hands down to Garak's again erect member, stroking it firmly, intent on once again bringing Garak pleasure. 

"Dukat…" Garak moaned. "Dukat…"

That was all he said but Dukat knew what it meant, and he buried his head in Garak's luscious hair responding in kind. 

"Elim, oh, Elim…"

And the release built slowly inside him, like a dam filling and finally reaching its limits, breaking with a force he didn't know existed. 

"Elim," he screamed one last time as the orgasm took hold of him and he felt the other man's fluids spill over his hands as he continued caressing Garak, making him join him in the pleasure. 

"Elim…" he whispered again as they lay together on the bed, satiated, trying to regain their breath. 

Dukat opened his eyes and smiled at Garak as the other man pulled him into his embrace and kissed him tenderly. Love shining in those royal blue eyes. A love Dukat knew was mirrored in his own eyes. Where this love would lead them, he did not know. 

END

**Author's Note:**

> DATE: January 1999-01-08  
> DISCLAIMER: They are the property of Paramount. Everything Star Trek in this story is borrowed from the almighty Viacom. No copyright infringement intended. The story is mine though.  
> SUMMARY: Dukat has been hitting on Kira forever and Dr. Bashir is quite sure the lady isn't as unwilling as she claims. He and Garak decide to play Cupid - and they are quite willing to go to rather great lengths to get it right.  
> AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is in no way a story where I try to stay true to canon so don't try to place it in an actual DS9 timeline… you'll fail… As for the type of story… it's really smutty… I get worse and worse… sorry guys. This is just a rather silly plot where the relations between Garak and Dukat might be a little more amicable… The story is written purely for steamy sex, okay? So beware, it's explicit and it does have its slashy moments. If that offends you - don't read it please.


End file.
